


Breathing Easy, and Seeing Clear

by DrowningInStarlight



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Multi, Post-Canon, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 10:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14746751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrowningInStarlight/pseuds/DrowningInStarlight
Summary: The bonfire had, of course, been Ben's idea."It's Jack's first birthday since... Well, you know," Ben said, as they chose a table at Rosa's diner. "And I know you said neither of you really celebrate birthdays much, but c'mon, man. This one'simportant."Including: cuddling, marshmallows, discussions of marriage, and a whole lot of fluff.





	Breathing Easy, and Seeing Clear

**Author's Note:**

> So I got really inspired by helloearthling's Jack's back and everyone's happy fics, and ended up writing one of my own. Absolutely check out their fics if you like this! 
> 
>  
> 
> Title from Sunday Morning Stasis by Joseph Fink, from the Welcome to Night Vale podcast.

The bonfire had, of course, been Ben's idea. 

He and Sammy were in Rosa's diner, the morning after a show. They were waiting for Emily and Jack to join them for pancake puppies, which had become a tradition on mornings after Emily and Jack had been having one of their sleepovers. 

"It's Jack's first birthday since... Well, you know," Ben said, as they chose a table. "And I know you said neither of you really celebrate birthdays much, but c'mon, man. This one's _important._ "

"What did you have in mind?" Sammy asked.

"Well, as Jack had the luck to be born late-summer," he said, with all the bitterness of a winter baby, "It's perfect bonfire weather!" 

That was undeniably true. It had been most glorious summer Sammy had seen in King Falls, as if the whole world was rejoicing Jack's return. Now it was fading into a beautiful autumn, but the air was still warm, the waters of Lake Hatchenhaw still a rippling turquoise. 

Sammy shrugged. "Ask Jack," he said. "If he's down for it, then..." 

"Jack'll be down for it," Ben said with confidence. That was probably true, Sammy thought. Jack and Ben had taken to each other like a house on fire, with the same amount of chaos and accidental damage of property. He still didn't understand why he had a thing for people who were a little crazy, but apparently he did. 

Jack and Emily arrived at Rosa's a little later. Sammy and Ben got up to greet them. 

"Had a good night?" Sammy asked, concern a habit born of the times Jack had woken up screaming with nightmares of the Void.

"It was great," Jack said. "We listened to you and Ben, actually." 

"You did?" Ben asked. 

"Yep. Emily told me-- and watch out, this is incredibly sweet--"

" _Jack_ ," Emily groaned. "That was supposed to be a secret." 

"Emily told me that when she has a nightmare or gets anxious or something, she puts on the radio and listens to you both, and imagines you're in the room with her, keeping her company." 

"You-- you do? Emily, that's-- so nice, I--"

"Emily, that is kind of adorable. And you know what," Sammy said, "I think that's an _entirely_ new shade of red Ben's just turned." 

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "I think you're right, babe." 

"All right, all right," Ben said. "I don't need both of you to wind me up. It's bad enough when Sammy does it. Jack, there's something I want to ask you."

"Fire away."

"Funny you should say that, actually. So, how would you feel about having a bonfire down at Lake Hatchenhaw this weekend? We'll be working on the actual night of your birthday, and I know Lily's out of town at the moment, but we could still celebrate..."

"Ben, man, that sounds amazing," Jack said. "Let's do it." 

 

______________

 

So, on Saturday, Sammy joined the others down on the shores of Lake Hatchenhaw. The fire was already burning cheerily, filling the air with the smell of wood smoke. Troy and Mary were watching a barbecue, and Ron was playing an energetic game of tag with the Jensen kids. Archie had what looked to be at least five pomchis running around his feet, barking at stones and rolling around in excitement. 

Jack and Ben were nowhere to be seen, and once that would have worried Sammy-- more than the usual _two of my favourite people with a habit of getting in trouble have disappeared together, god help us all_ worry, that is-- but he was surprised to find that it didn't, not this time. Maybe he was healing, after all. 

He wandered over to the fire. Ron had dragged over some logs for people to use as seats, and Emily was sitting on one, idly toasting a marshmallow. She looked a bit like a tree spirit, her hair loose over her green dress. Her eyes looked bright and alive, with colour in her cheeks that reminded Sammy of the Emily he'd known before the rainbow lights had dared to touch her. 

"Hey, Emily," he said. "D'you know where Jack and Ben are?" Okay, so maybe he was still a _little_ worried. 

Emily looked up at him, squinting against the sun. "Oh, hi Sammy. They went to get drinks-- I can't believe Ben planned two completely successful rescues from dark powers without forgetting a thing, but then forgot to get anything to drink for a birthday party." She laughed fondly. 

"And Jack went with him because he wanted to influence the choices, of course," Sammy said, sitting next to her. "He's weirdly picky about his alcohol." 

"You got it," Emily said. She took her marshmallow out of the fire, and blew on it gently. "I'm so glad you're happy, Sammy. I worried about you, you know. I really did. But I don't any more, not like that. I'm just so glad you're happy." 

"Thanks, Emily. Everything's better now Jack's here. Just knowing he's in the same world as I am, that he's okay even when he isn't with me-- It means _everything_." 

"You really love each other, don't you?" she said speculatively. 

"Yep," Sammy agreed. "Is everything all right with you and Ben?" he added innocently. He was perceptive enough to know when questions necessarily about what they appeared to be. 

"Yes, _Dad_ ," she said. 

"Emily. You can talk to me." 

"It's just-- Sometimes I wonder--" she hesitated. "What made me deserve this happiness more than Mary? Or any of the other people who's lives have been messed about with by the rainbow lights? Or--" 

"Emily, let yourself be happy, okay?" he said gently. "I've been there. When Jack was taken, all I could think for so long was _why was Jack taken and me left? Why did I deserve life more than him?_ But it doesn't work like that. Whatever your mind is telling you, it's not true. You deserve it. You really, really do. Enjoy the sunshine." 

"Thanks, Sammy." 

"Also, you're getting marshmallow on your boots." 

"Dammit!" She tucked her legs back, away from the dripping marshmallow. "My favourite boots, too. _Why._ " 

 

___________________

 

The sun had set, and people had gradually gone home, laughing and happy. Just the four of them were left, Ben with his arm around Emily, Jack lying in Sammy's lap. Sammy had raided the last of the snacks, and was trying not to drop melted marshmallow in Jack's hair. It really was _so_ sticky. 

The moon was a silver crescent above them, hanging in a sky full of stars. The only sound was the crackling of the bonfire, and the soft splash of the lake. Everything felt warm and peaceful, normal-- and God, Sammy would never get over being able to say _normal_ and it including _this_ , friends and family and _Jack_. 

"Sammy, your breathing changed. Are you about to start crying?" Jack asked knowingly, and Sammy had to laugh. 

"I swear, every time something is just really, y'know, _nice_ , Sammy starts tearing up," Jack said. "Every time. He's going to be a mess at our wedding." 

"Benny's exactly the same," Emily said. "He cried after Sammy asked him to be his best man." 

"Did not," Ben mumbled. His eyes were shut and he was leaning on Emily's shoulder. 

"Who's going to cry more, Sammy or Ben?" Jack said, "Place your bets."

"Plot twist," Emily said, "It's absolutely going to be me." 

"Aww, Emily," Jack said, sitting up to pat her arm. Sammy shuffled closer and put his arm around him, just to remind himself that he _could_. 

"This all sounds like quite a lot of crying for a wedding," he said. "Can I request more laughter, please? As it's my wedding, and all?"

"Sorry, bud. We're your best friends, duty bound to shed tears at the prospect of losing you to married life," Ben said, sitting up a bit and helping himself to another marshmallow from the packet in front of them. 

"Oi," Jack said peaceably. 

"Oh, don't worry, man. We'll be crying over you, too," Ben said. 

"Definitely," Emily agreed. "We'll be so happy just seeing you guys happy that tears are inevitable." 

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." He suddenly sounded genuinely emotional, and Sammy ruffled his hair. 

"Watch out, you'll make Jack cry too with your displays of tearful affection," he said. 

"You okay?" Emily asked him, and Jack nodded. 

"Yeah, I am. It's just... when I was, y'know, missing, I couldn't really tell how much time was passing back in the real world. And I sometimes worried that hundreds of years would pass before I could get out, and I'd come back to a world that had completely forgotten me..." 

Sammy held onto him a little tighter. "I've not forgotten you." 

"That's exactly what I mean. It _wasn't_ hundreds of years, and now I'm here, and I've got Sammy and I've got friends who'll cry at our wedding, and it's just..."

"More than you could ever have hoped for?" Emily said. Her voice was quiet in the way it only ever got when she was thinking about her abduction, and Ben and Sammy shared a look over the heads of the people in their laps. Sammy had always been good at reading him, but now even Cynthia Higenbaum could have interpreted Ben's meaning. 

_We are never letting anything hurt them ever again._

Sammy could not have agreed more. 

"And this is a hell of a lot more than I could ever have dreamed of," Jack said. "I'm back, and Sammy's okay, and his friends don't hate me--" 

"Yeah, that was a never a possibility," Ben cut in. "Sammy loves you, I'll love you. Just the way it is." 

"Thanks, man. Love you too." 

"We're _always_ going to be friends," Emily told him. "We've had too many sleepovers not to be." 

"It's true that binging Supernatural together bonds people for life," Jack said. "If you spend enough time crying over the Winchesters together, then there is no power on earth that can separate you." 

"You guys are ridiculous," Sammy said. 

"Bullshit. You love us." 

Sammy sighed. "True that." 

"Well, Jack, you're welcome to come over whenever," Emily promised. "It's always nice to have some company when it's dark outside." 

"I get you," Jack agreed. "I've had enough of the dark to last a goddamn lifetime." 

______________

 

Ben added another log from the pile Ron had left them earlier, and the fire flared up as it caught. The smoke curled away, lit up by dancing sparks. 

"So why don't you guys celebrate your birthdays?" he asked. 

Sammy shrugged. "Well, neither of us are really close to our families..." 

"Not really close is the understatement of the year," Jack said. "Yours kicked you out when they caught you kissing a guy, mine disowned me and Lily for going into radio. So, yeah, I guess that's why, no family willing to talk to us." 

"Our friends at that time just weren't that close, and Lily's never been the celebratory type," Sammy continued. "So we just kind of... didn't." 

"Well, I'm glad we got to celebrate your first birthday back with us," Emily said. 

Jack nodded. "I am too. Thanks for suggesting it, Ben." 

"'Course, man. Everyone deserves some fun on their birthdays." 

"Also, I made a cake!" Emily said, starting upright. "I can't believe I'd forgotten about it until now." 

"We are _very_ distracting company, of course," Ben said. "But, er-- I'll get the cake, shall I? I presume it's in the car?" 

"Yeah. It's unlocked. Thanks, Benny." 

Once Ben had gone, Jack looked at them questioningly. 

"When Emily was abducted," Sammy said quietly, "She was bringing us a cake up at the studio." 

"Oh," Jack said, understanding dawning on his face. "Right. I see."

Emily smiled sadly. "I've tried to not let it stop me baking stuff, but-- it's been hard, I guess. It was my last afternoon, and I didn't even know it. The cake, it was supposed to say "Sammiversary" but I ran out of space and the letters got really small... I was really excited to show it to you and Ben, I remember that. And then driving up-- and the rainbow lights-- then _nothing._ Nothing until Ben rescued me." 

"God, Emily," Sammy said. "I'm so sorry." 

"You didn't have to make a cake," Jack said, looking concerned. "Not if it--" 

"No, I wanted to. I don't want to hide from any of it. It's healthier to face it, a little at a time, I know that. So, I started with a cake." 

"You're a hero, Emily. That's really brave." 

"Sammy's right." 

"Thanks, guys. I don't feel brave, but... I tried." 

Ben came back, carrying a tub. "Here we go," he said. "One chocolate orange cake." 

"That's my favourite!" Jack said. "How did you--"

"I asked Sammy in preparation," Emily explained, laughing at Jack's look of shock. "I presumed you hadn't had one since coming back, so..."

"Thank you," he said. "That's-- that's so thoughtful, Emily." 

"She's a marvel," Ben said fondly. 

"I didn't remember the candles," she said. "But... yeah. Happy birthday, Jack." 

"Happy birthday, babe," Sammy said, and kissed him. 

Ben whistled, and Emily laughed. Jack started laughing too, and gesturing at Ben and Emily, said "Think of the children!" 

"Oh, I think the children are just fine," Emily said. She grabbed Ben's arm and kissed him. Ben made a surprised noise that was so adorable it made Sammy smile, and then Jack was laughing again, and Ben lost his balance and almost dropped the cake. Jack lunged to catch it, and ended up in Sammy's lap again.

Emily took the cake from Ben and put it down carefully next to the fire. "I'm just going to put this over here," she said. "The atmosphere has become distinctly unsafe for cakes all of a sudden." 

"Hey, _you_ kissed me!" Ben said. 

"I've been your girlfriend for a while now," Emily said. "Don't sound so surprised." 

"Ah, you should be glad of the novelty while it lasts," Jack said. "Sammy wouldn't react like that if I kissed him."

"I would, actually," Sammy interjected. 

"Yeah, I'm with Sammy on this one," Ben said. "He'd probably start crying."

"I don't know whether that's a compliment or not." 

"It just means Jack's a really good kisser."

"I sincerely hope, Ben Arnold, that you have no evidence to back that up," Sammy laughed. "You are right, though." 

Jack waggled his eyebrows, and Ben said "Get a _room_ ," then started giggling. 

Sammy looked up the star filled sky, and for the first time in a long time, felt pure, uncorrupted _happiness._

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhere along the line while writing this, I ended up kind of shipping the four of them. Why am I like this!? And since I haven't seen any fics about them all together, I'm almost certainly going to end up writing one. /sigh 
> 
> Anyway, if we don't someday get this kind of happiness for these sweethearts then I will fight. Let them all be happy!


End file.
